Name: Recipe "Chocolate Banana Cookies"
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1.25 cup all-purpose flour; 0.5 cup Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa; 0.5 tsp baking soda; 0.5 tsp sea salt; 0.5 cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled); 0.5 cup granulated sugar; 0.25 cup light brown sugar (packed); 1 ripe banana (mashed (½ cup)); 1 large egg yolk; 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; flaky sea salt (for sprinkling)

Why These Chocolate Banana Cookies Work So Well

I love my chocolate banana bread, so turning it into cookies was a no-brainer. These chocolate banana cookies have the same rich cocoa flavor and tender crumb, but with a soft, chewy texture that makes them even harder to resist. The banana adds moisture and a subtle sweetness, so you get that perfect balance of chocolate and fruit in every bite. My family gobbles them up before they even have time to cool.

What Makes These Chocolate Banana Cookies So Good

Uses up those brown bananas sitting on your counter, no waste, just delicious cookies.
Soft and chewy with deep chocolate flavor, thanks to Dutch process cocoa and a ripe banana.
Quick to mix up with basic pantry ingredients and no chill time required.

Key Ingredients for Soft Chewy Chocolate Banana Cookies

Cocoa powder: Dutch process gives a richer, darker flavor, but regular unsweetened cocoa works too. Either way, sift it to avoid lumps.
Banana: Use a very ripe banana with brown spots, it’s sweeter and mashes easily. One medium banana is enough.
Butter: Melted butter makes these cookies extra chewy. Use unsalted so you can control the salt.

Kitchen Tools for Chocolate Banana Cookies

Stand mixer or hand mixer for creaming the butter and sugars.
Baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Cookie scoop (2-tablespoon size) to portion dough evenly.
Cooling rack to let cookies set without soggy bottoms.

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Banana Cookies

Don’t overmix the dough once you add the dry ingredients, just mix until no streaks of flour remain. Overworking develops gluten and makes cookies tough. The dough will be soft, but a quick 10-minute bake is all it needs. The cookies should look set around the edges but still soft in the center when you pull them from the oven; they’ll firm up as they cool. For pretty cookies, press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops while they’re still warm.

Expert Advice for Perfect Decadent Chocolate Cookies

If your banana is extra large, use only half or the dough may be too wet. You can tell the cookies are done when the edges are set and the middle still looks slightly underdone, that’s the key to keeping them soft. For a shiny, crackly top, use Dutch process cocoa and don’t skip the flaky sea salt at the end; it balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate.

Make-Ahead Dough for Chocolate Banana Cookies

If you want fresh cookies without the last-minute mixing, you can make the dough up to 2 days ahead. Shape it into a log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When you’re ready to bake, slice the log into rounds about 1/2 inch thick and bake as directed, no need to adjust the oven temperature.

Swap the semi-sweet chips for white chocolate or milk chocolate for a different sweetness. Stir in a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch. For a gluten-free version, use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend like Cup4Cup, the cookies will still be soft and chewy. If you want a peanut butter twist, reduce the butter to 6 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter along with the banana.

How to Serve Chocolate Banana Cookies

These cookies are wonderful on their own, but a glass of cold milk takes them over the top. For dessert, sandwich two cookies with vanilla ice cream for an easy banana split cookie ice cream sandwich. You can also crumble them over yogurt or banana nice cream for extra texture.

How to Store Chocolate Banana Cookies

Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place a slice of white bread in the container to help them stay soft, the cookies will stay moist, and the bread will get stale instead. For longer storage, see freezing instructions below.

Can You Freeze Chocolate Banana Cookies?

Yes, you can freeze either the baked cookies or the raw dough. To freeze baked cookies, let them cool completely, then layer them between sheets of parchment in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. For dough, scoop into balls, freeze solid on a baking sheet, then transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen, adding about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.

Best Way to Reheat Chocolate Banana Cookies

Microwave a cookie for 10-15 seconds to get that just-baked softness back. For a slightly crisp edge, reheat in a 350°F oven for 3-4 minutes. If the cookies are frozen, let them thaw first or add an extra minute in the microwave.

Chocolate Banana Cookies FAQs

Can I use frozen bananas in these cookies?

Yes, thaw the banana first and drain off any excess liquid before mashing. Frozen bananas tend to release more water, so your dough may be slightly stickier, that’s fine, just don’t add extra flour.

Why are my chocolate banana cookies dry?

The most common reason is overbaking. These cookies should be pulled from the oven while the centers still look soft and slightly underdone; they continue to set as they cool. Using too much flour or an overripe (but not brown) banana can also cause dryness.

Can I make these cookies vegan?

You can try using a vegan butter stick in place of regular butter and a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water) instead of the egg yolk. The texture may be slightly less chewy, but they’ll still be tasty.

Do I have to use Dutch process cocoa?

No, regular unsweetened cocoa powder works fine. Dutch process gives a smoother, more intense chocolate flavor, but the cookies will still be delicious with natural cocoa.

Recipe

Chocolate Banana Cookies

Use the brown bananas on your counter to make these decadent and delicious chocolate cookies! The chocolate banana combo is perfection!

easyVegetarian

15 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

Servings

Dessert

Course

American

Cuisine

272 kcal

Calories

Ingredients

Servings

1.25 cup all-purpose flour
0.5 cup Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp sea salt
0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
0.5 cup granulated sugar

0.25 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 ripe banana, mashed (½ cup)
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the melted butter and sugars until combined. Add the mashed banana and mix until combined. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix again.

4
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten the tops of the cookies with the palm of your hand. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until set but still soft in the center. Remove from the oven and sprinkle cookies with flaky sea salt. You can also gently press a few chocolate chips onto the tops of the cookies to make them extra pretty while the cookies are still warm.
6
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving)

272kcal

Calorie breakdown

Protein6%18 kcal

Fat41%119 kcal

Carbohydrates53%152 kcal

How this was calculated — 12 of 12 ingredients matched

all-purpose flourFlour, wheat, all-purpose, enriched, bleached1098 kcal

Dutch process or unsweetened cocoaCocoa, dry powder, unsweetened274 kcal

baking sodaLeavening agents, baking soda0 kcal

sea saltSalt, table0 kcal

unsalted butterButter, salted860 kcal

granulated sugarSugars, granulated462 kcal

light brown sugarSugars, brown228 kcal

ripe bananaBananas, ripe and slightly ripe, raw1 kcal

large egg yolkEgg, yolk, raw, fresh3 kcal

pure vanilla extractVanilla extract29 kcal

semi-sweet chocolate chipsChocolate, dark, 60-69% cacao solids1390 kcal

flaky sea saltSalt, table0 kcal

Serving size ≈ 61 g · 16 servings

Nutrition information is automatically calculated from USDA FoodData Central, so should only be used as an approximation. Actual values may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, and preparation methods used.

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Keyword: banana, Chocolate, cookie, dessert, nutFree, Oven Baked, vegetarian

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